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发帖数: 4174 | 1 Posted on Advocate.com February 15, 2011
Two Md. Senators for Marriage Equality
By Julie Bolcer
Edward Kasemeyer Maryland state senators Edward Kasemeyer and Katherine
Klausmeier said Monday that they would support the marriage equality bill,
bringing the number of votes for the measure to 23. The bill needs 24 votes
to pass the chamber.
According to The Baltimore Sun, “Kasemeyer, a Democrat who represents
Howard and Baltimore counties, had not previously said how he planned to
vote on the bill. Many had believed he would not support it because he
represents a conservative area.”
Klausmeier, also a Democrat from Baltimore County, said, "I just weighed all
of the options. It's about fairness," the Sun reported.
The announcements from Kasemeyer and Klausmeier leave four senators, all
Democrats, undecided or unwilling to share their position on the bill.
However, The Washington Post reports that one undecided senator, Joan Carter
Conway, said last week that she would vote for the bill if hers was the
deciding vote, a pledge that would bring the number of votes to the required
24 at this point.
Twenty senators oppose the bill, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage
Protection Act, which is expected to clear the judicial proceedings
committee this Thursday.
Last week, Sen. James Brochin, another Democrat from Baltimore County,
announced his support for the measure, saying that he was persuaded by the
“appalling” testimony from marriage equality opponents.
Also on Monday, legislative leaders, attorney general Doug Gansler and
advocates rallied in front of the statehouse in Annapolis to support the
marriage equality bill and the Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act,
which would prohibit discrimination against transgender Marylanders in the
areas of employment, housing, and credit. Later, they delivered hundreds of
carnations to lawmakers.
“This is a historic day for all Marylanders as we stand here advocating for
our community’s most basic rights - the right to be who you are and the
right to marry the person that you love,” said Morgan Meneses-Sheets,
executive director of Equality Maryland, in a news release. “Here tonight,
I see the diversity of our community and the importance of this legislative
session to our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender family. More and more
Maryland legislators are standing with us on the right side of history.
This Valentine’s Day we are reminded that love is truly just love, and all
people in our state deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.” |
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